Valley News Dispatch category, Page 384
New owner plans to revitalize Heights Plaza in Harrison
The new owner of Heights Plaza says it will revitalize the long-troubled Harrison shopping center and add several new tenants by the end of the year. Benbrooke Realty Investment Co., a New York-based real estate manager, announced Thursday that it recently finalized its ownership arrangements for the nearly 30-acre shopping...
Vandergrift man pleads guilty in federal court to robbing Apollo Trust Bank last July
A Vandergrift man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to robbing the Apollo Trust Bank last July. Bradley Mondi, 35, was accused of using “intimidation” to rob the tellers of $6,666 when he walked into the bank in North Apollo at around 2 p.m. on July 12, 2021, and pulled...
Free water safety event, Lock Fest, set at Allegheny River Lock 4 in Natrona
People are invited to stop by Allegheny River Lock 4 in the Natrona section of Harrison on Saturday for a boatload of fun. Lock Fest, the annual water safety event hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, will be presented free to the public from 10 a.m....
3 of 6 teens charged in New Kensington shooting death in custody
Three of the six teenagers charged in connection with a fatal shooting Sunday in New Kensington are in custody, including the 14-year-old police say was the shooter. Braedon Matthew Dickinson, 14, of Herminie; Amir Kennedy, 14, of New Kensington; and Jonathan Eugene Felder, 17, of Arnold are in custody. According...
The Stroller, July 7, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Boaters bash planned Saturday in New Kensington Lighthouse Marina, New Kensington, will...
Tarentum business owner appointed to fill council vacancy
A familiar face in Tarentum will fill a vacancy on council. Kevin Bertocki, owner of Asay’s newsstand along Sixth Avenue, was appointed to fill the 2nd Ward term left by Adam Blythe who resigned in May. “I’m just trying to help the borough out,” Bertocki said. “I’m a business owner,...
Cheswick couple charged with hiding meth, heroin in candy bag
A Cheswick couple face multiple felony drug charges after Allegheny Valley Regional Police accused them of selling heroin and crystal meth they packaged in a candy bag. Joseph Sciulli, 37, and Danielle Taylor, 47, of the 1400 block of Freeport Road each were charged with four felony counts of delivery...
Sharpsburg’s long-time butcher, Dom Perrotte, honored for 50 years perfect attendance in Rotary
Sharpsburg butcher Dom Perrotte started sweeping sawdust from the floor in a cousin’s meat market before he was a teen. “I wiped the glass display cases and washed the platters for a lot of years before I went into business on my own,” said Perrotte, who owned a Main Street...
New Kensington residents rally against violence in wake of fatal shootingVideo
Calls to “stop the violence” and “put the guns down” rang out through the heart of New Kensington two nights in a row as residents participated in a pair of rallies Wednesday and Thursday evenings, days after a man was shot to death. The Rev. David Trent of Chosen Generation...
Stop the violence rally held in New Kensington in response to Raiford shootingVideo
Calls to “stop the violence” and “put the guns down” rang out Wednesday evening through the heart of New Kensington as dozens of residents participated in a rally, three days after a fatal shooting. The Rev. David Trent of Chosen Generations Ministries led the group of about 30 people in...
Fire dancers among entertainers, artists participating in first Sizzling Summer Night in New Kensington
Saturday night promises to be a hot time in New Kensington. Nearly 50 businesses and a baker’s dozen of entertainers — including fire dancers — are scheduled to participate in New Ken’s Sizzling Summer Night, a first-time event running from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fifth Avenue between Eighth and...
Aspinwall police officer struck by vehicle while working traffic detail
An Aspinwall police officer was treated and released from a hospital after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon. Allegheny County dispatchers said there was a vehicle/pedestrian crash about 4 p.m. near the intersection of Western Avenue and Freeport Road. The department posted on its Facebook page that Officer Scott...
Estate of truck driver who died in train crash in Cheswick sues Norfolk Southern
The estate of an Easton man who died in an August 2020 crash with a train in Cheswick is suing Norfolk Southern for $50 million, alleging the company’s negligence resulted in the man’s death. Brittney Brown, an administrator of David Nezekiah Howell’s estate, filed the lawsuit June 8 seeking compensation...
Amateur Astronomers Association to host free star parties for public in West Deer
A tradition of bringing new and passionate stargazers into the hobby is still going strong after 35 years. The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will be holding free public Star Parties on Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, at the Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Regional Park...
ATI’s Pittsburgh offices moving to Strip District after 30 years at PPG Place
The Pittsburgh offices of ATI will move to a 20,000-square-foot office in the Strip District after nearly three decades at PPG Place. Leaders of the global specialty materials firm signed a long-term lease at The Vision on 15th, a luxury mixed-use development along Smallman Street. The move is expected to...
Vandergrift man accused of molesting girl starting when she was 6 jailed on $2 million bond
West Deer police accused a Vandergrift man of sexually assaulting a girl several times a week over a six-year period starting when she was 6. Justin Michael Jahoda, 36, of Sycamore Street was charged with a dozen felony counts that include aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent...
Lower Burrell veterans seek missing flags ripped from poles in microburst
Most Lower Burrell residents know all too well the snapped trees, downed power lines and other destruction caused by a June 22 microburst. American flags lining Leechburg Road also took a hit during the storm as high winds, ranging from 58 mph to 65 mph, according to the National Weather...
Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge continues cleanup after June storm
Cleanup continues at Prospect Cemetery in Brackenridge after a late-June storm caused up to $10,000 in damage. “We had a real mess here,” said Cindy Homburg, cemetery president. “It was a ton of damage.” She estimated at least $6,000 in tree damage from the June 22 storm, which pummeled the...
Vandergrift motorcyclist seriously injured after colliding with truck in Ligonier Township, police say
A Vandergrift motorcyclist was seriously injured and flown by medical helicopter to a Johnstown hospital Tuesday after colliding with a truck along Route 30 in Ligonier Township. The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. along the highway stretch of Route 30 between Laughlintown and the Laurel Mountain Summit, east of Ligonier...
The Stroller, July 6, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15068. Please include a daytime telephone number. Picnic to benefit pig rescue A Summer Pig-nic to benefit the Pittsburgh...
Remember When: Route 56 got its start in 1928 in New Kensington
It certainly doesn’t have the controversial history or glamour the Route 28 Expressway has, but Route 56 is an important artery of the eastern side of the Allegheny River. Route 56 begins its 108-mile trek from New Kensington to Bedford at the foot of the Ninth Street Bridge, officially known...
Blawnox man — off-duty officer — slain in apparent road rage incident remembered for desire to serve
The only thing Charles “Chuckie” Stipetich ever dreamed about while growing up was becoming a Marine and a police officer. So it was no surprise to his parents when the Fox Chapel Area High School student joined the military after graduating in 2017. “It’s all he talked about while growing...
Aspinwall doctor nationally recognized for delivery of palliative care
An Aspinwall doctor is the recipient of a national award for providing exceptional palliative care for end-of-life patients in the Butler Health System. Dr. Dillon Stein, 37, was awarded the 2022 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award in May, an honor bestowed annually nationwide to five palliative care physicians. Stein was...
New Kensington man dies after Harrison crash
A New Kensington man died after a motor vehicle crash Monday in Harrison. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the man as Michael D. Booker, 33. Booker died shortly after 7:30 p.m. at an unidentified hospital. The crash, on River Road just past Mile Lock Lane, was reported about 6:45...
Fire guts Harrison home, damages 2 others
Fire crews responded to the scene of a residential fire just after 10 p.m. Monday on Walnut Street in the Natrona section of Harrison. Fire and EMS crews from Harrison, Brackenridge and Tarentum were on the scene after reports of heavy flames coming from an apartment in a two-story residence...
